Lord Adonis: Airport body scan images destroyed immediately

New airport body scanners. The Transport Minister said the images will be destroyed immediately

Transport Secretary Lord Adonis sought today to allay privacy fears over the introduction of full body scans at airports.

The Cabinet Minister said the images from the scans are deleted "immediately" and staff carrying out the procedure are fully trained and supervised.

"At the moment, people accept that they are subject to a pat-down search when they have gone through the metal detector," he told BBC Breakfast.

"A pat-down search is a pretty intrusive procedure but people accept that because it is important that we do detect whether there are weapons or other powerful substances that people may be carrying.

"A body scanner is in the same category - it is very important to stress that the images which are captured by body scanners are immediately deleted after the passenger has gone through the body scanner.

"Staff are, of course, properly trained and supervised who manage the body scanners."

It was revealed yesterday that air passengers who refuse to submit to a full body scan at Heathrow and Manchester airports will be barred from taking their flights.

The two airports started operating advanced imaging technology (AIT) scanners yesterday and Birmingham airport will follow suit later this month ahead of a national roll-out.

The move - strongly criticised by civil liberties campaigners who say the scanners are an invasion of privacy - has followed the attempted Detroit bomb attack on Christmas Day.

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab is accused of trying to detonate a bomb on a flight as it was about to land in the US city.

While only a small minority of travellers are expected to be asked to undergo the scans, those who decline will not be allowed to board their flights.

Lord Adonis said in a written parliamentary statement that the scanners would help security staff detect explosives or other dangerous items.

"In the immediate future, only a small proportion of airline passengers will be selected for scanning," he said.

"If a passenger is selected for scanning and declines, they will not be permitted to fly."

Lord Adonis stressed that an interim code of practice on the use of body scanners stipulated that passengers would not be selected "on the basis of personal characteristics".

He said there would be a consultation on their use, but added that there was an immediate need to begin using them.

"Given the current security threat level, the Government believes it essential to start introducing scanners immediately," he said.

"However, I wish to consult widely on the long-term regime for their use, taking full account of the experience of the initial deployment."

Body scanners at Manchester airport will be confined initially to Terminal 2, where they have been trialled since late last year.

Additional scanners are planned for Terminals 1 and 3 by the end of the month.

The airport said its previous exemption for children had been overturned by the Government.

Head of customer experience Sarah Barrett said passengers had "privacy concerns", but stressed that the airport has put in strict procedures.

"It will enhance security for everyone, which can only be a good thing, without compromising people's privacy," she said.

"The image generated by the body scanner cannot be stored or captured, nor can security officers viewing the images recognise people.

"Contrary to reports, the equipment does not allow security staff to see passengers naked."

But Alex Deane, a barrister and director of campaign group Big Brother Watch, said such measures meant "the terrorists have won".

"People are understandably afraid of terrorism," he said.

"But we didn't allow the IRA to impede our freedoms or change our way of life, and we shouldn't change now either.

"Those upset by the prospect of undergoing these scans shouldn't be forced to choose between their dignity and their flight.

"What kind of a free society does the Government think it is 'protecting', when it invades our privacy like this?

"When we are forced to expose ourselves at the airport in order to go on holiday, the terrorists have won."

A Department for Transport spokesman said: "We understand the concerns expressed about privacy in relation to the deployment of body scanners, which is why we have drawn up a code of practice for their use.

"This will ensure operators are separated from the passengers being screened, and these anonymous images are destroyed after scanning is complete."

"This code of practice also makes clear that passengers will not be selected for screening on the basis of gender, age, race or ethnic origin."